Music Review: Here by Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros

By Vanessa ButlerMay 29, 2012

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Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros release yet another dreamy album just in time for summer.

Just in time for those lazy and hazy summer days, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros have released another album, Here, full of songs to sing around a fire with eight to eleven of your closest friends.

It may seem like there’s something cult-like about their whole shtick, and you’d be right. After breaking up with his longtime girlfriend, former Ima Robot front man Alex Ebert began writing a book about a messiah named Edward Sharpe during his time at a 12-step program for addiction. “(Sharpe) was sent down to Earth to kinda heal and save mankind…but he kept getting distracted by girls and falling in love.” And that’s exactly what Ebert did. Not long after he started writing about Sharpe, he met singer Jade Castrinos and immediately fell in love with her.

After their hit album Up from Below dropped, the song “Home” began making its way to commercials and television shows, and the constantly rotating minstrels began touring and have yet to stop.

Don’t expect the same upbeat bubbly tracks like “Janglin” or “40 Day Dream” on this album; their sophomore release is more hauntingly beautiful than catchy. Starting with the somber song “Man on Fire,” Ebert croons “I want the whole damn world to come dance with me.” It sends shivers down your spine once the old-timey foot-tapping jingle “I Don’t Wanna Pray” starts. It’s absolutely incredible how you can get wrapped up in the thought that these people are actually some sort of Manson-esque cult family.

It’s always nerve-wracking reviewing an album for a band that you really connected with on their first album. Since I was young I’ve always enjoyed Ebert’s musical work, so I’m happy to see that Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros were able to elaborate and build on the happy-go-lucky fantasy they’ve crafted for us with their second album.